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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26608885">Valedictory</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lcdsra/pseuds/lcdsra'>lcdsra</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>LCDSRA's A-Z Soulmate Prompts [22]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 04:47:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,007</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26608885</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lcdsra/pseuds/lcdsra</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>/ˌvaləˈdikt(ə)rē/<br/>adjective<br/>1. serving as a farewell.</p><p>Or: A story of firsts.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>London &amp; Phoenix</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>LCDSRA's A-Z Soulmate Prompts [22]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1935553</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Valedictory</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>AU: Wherever your soulmate gets a scar, a flower representing them appears on your skin.</p><p>Character(s): Phoenix, London<br/>Relationship(s): London &amp; Phoenix<br/>Warning(s): Mentioned child abuse, major character death</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Phoenix’s life was always a competition with their sibling. Even as a young child, they always kept track of the firsts they claimed.</p><p>It was often, if not always evenly matched. London would claim a first, then Phoenix would catch up with another. But truthfully, Phoenix never hated their twin for that, not really.</p><p>They never felt the need to claim firsts to get their parents attention, but to get London’s. It was a way to motivate them to spend more time with Phoenix instead of others.</p><p>And before long, they nearly forgot why they’d started counting in the first place.</p><p>: : :</p><p>“I’m older than you.” London said.</p><p>“By 15 minutes, and I spoke my first word first.”</p><p>London rolled their eyes. “Yeah, and it was ‘no.’ It wasn’t that difficult.”</p><p>: : :</p><p>“Look,” London whispered, pointing to their knee. “A sunflower!”</p><p>Phoenix frowned and glanced at their own knee. A white scar that they distinctly remembered getting was peaking out from under their shorts. “Is that a Soulflower?”</p><p>London scratched at it and nodded. “Yeah. I noticed it awhile ago as like, a dot, but it bloomed, I swear.”</p><p>“I believe you.” Phoenix replied, tugging the fabric down to cover their knee. “I wonder who your soulmate is.”</p><p>“Don’t worry, you’ll get a flower soon!” London reassured, unaware that Phoenix already knew who both their soulmates were.</p><p>: : :</p><p>“I think I’m non binary.”</p><p>Phoenix had not been sure what that meant. “Oh.”</p><p>“And my name is London. Pronouns, they slash them.” London hadn’t been afraid, but they did glance at their twin a few times. “I’m not a girl or a boy.”</p><p>“Okay.” Phoenix replied.</p><p>And that was it.</p><p>Later, Phoenix did their own research and found the definition of ‘gender fluid’ and though they were second in solidifying their gender identity, it still felt like a win.</p><p>: : :</p><p>Thought London figured out what label fit them first, Phoenix followed soon after, devising a system of plain bracelets to determine proper pronouns for the day.</p><p>And Phoenix claimed another first, though not intentionally, coming out to someone other than their twin first.</p><p>The result was another first and another last, the first and only time their father hit them. It was also the first time Phoenix had gotten knocked out. They claimed many firsts that day.</p><p>Phoenix swam back to consciousness to the sound of their twin’s voice muttering over them.</p><p>“-thinking?” London seemingly said to themself. Phoenix felt a warm cloth press against the side of their head, and a pounding that felt like a headache, like their brain was going to pulsate out of their skull.</p><p>Phoenix squinted their eyes open and mumbled something unintelligible. Their darker sibling snapped to attention and whispered, “Are you awake?”</p><p>It took a few tries, but Phoenix managed to mumble something close to a yes.</p><p>“Alright, good.”</p><p>The warm rag that was pressed against their head was pulled away, and in turn, they felt a trickle of blood run down and probably into their hair. </p><p>“Can you sit? I can’t tell without knowing your symptoms, but I think you might have a concussion. What do you remember?” London was rambling as Phoenix pushed themself up.</p><p>They forced their eyes open, and had a jolt of fright when they couldn’t see anything. It took them a moment to realize that the room was dark. “I remember arguing with father. And then stars.”</p><p>They blinked a few times and slowly their eyes adjusted to the room. They were laying on the floor of their shard bedroom, and London was leaning over them.</p><p>“Yeah,” London cleared their throat lightly. Their voice was twinged with worry. “Thought so. I think you also hit a corner when you went down so,” their shadow shrugged, and Phoenix could imagine them wringing their hands together. “Just, sleep and try not to be in too bright of lights. Also, avoid screens, drink water, eat protein-“</p><p>“Okay, Dr. London.” Phoenix said, laughing a little, ignoring how the mere action sent a jolt of discomfort through their body.</p><p>Their sibling huffed, crossing their arms. “I’m just worried about you. Father knows about us now.”</p><p>“I only outed myself.”</p><p>London’s movements stopped for a moment, then they said, “I wasn’t going to let you out yourself alone.”</p><p>After all, they were twins, and they did everything together.</p><p>The cut on Phoenix’s head healed faster than their concussion. The scar left over was small, easily hidden by hair. The sunflower that bloomed over London’s temple was hidden just as easily.</p><p>: : :</p><p>Much later, London claimed another first for the last time.</p><p>Today was their birthday. The day wasn’t particularly special or important to either of the twins, so often, gifts would be a single flower of their respective Soulflowers.</p><p>London would find a lovely water lily that was identical to the ones that dotted Phoenix’s skin, and Phoenix would go to a field of sunflowers and find the prettiest one of them all. They’d swap flowers and maybe go to dinner together if neither of them was busy.</p><p>But this birthday was a first. The first time Phoenix would grow another year older without London. Where, today, he wouldn’t exchange flowers with his soulmate.</p><p>“You always liked being first, huh?”</p><p>Predictably, London didn’t reply. They had been buried in an understated grave just a week ago. Though Phoenix got a steady job, he was certainly not rich, and their family hadn’t talked to them in years.</p><p>It was just them for so long, even when they lived under their parent’s roof. And for the entirety of Phoenix’s life, London was there. And now they were gone.</p><p>“Happy birthday.” Phoenix said to the stone. He laid down two flowers tied loosely together with string, their Soulflowers. The sunflower was much larger, more lively, than the water lily.</p><p>In his experience, the water lily always died before the sunflower. Even when they were placed in the same water, the sunflower stayed hardy while the lily just wilted.</p><p>It was life, and it was death, and neither was fair.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Ultimately it's a beautiful thing<br/>Like flowers blooming in a lonely field<br/>The petals drift through crossing winds<br/>They find their way to river streams<br/>That scent the water beautifully, it takes me back to you<br/>It takes me back to you</p><p>- Ultimately by khai dreams</p></blockquote></div></div>
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